Chapter 121: Only The Prefect Is Getting Beaten Up

Chapter 121: Only the Prefect Is Getting Beaten

Zhao Changhe felt that this young lady was becoming increasingly tsundere.

He was no longer the virgin who had first arrived in this place; he could roughly sense Yue Hongling's inner turmoil at this moment.

The atmosphere between them now clearly placed him in the role of pursuing her—even if she said, "That was just a stepping stone," but having just spoken of their hope to one day travel the world sword in hand together, they were already rehearsing that hand-in-hand walk. The feeling of racing headlong toward a relationship was something the chivalrous young lady likely had no mental preparation for.

Yet... the way she tilted her head and lowered her gaze was truly beautiful.

No longer the deeply ingrained image of heroic valor and righteous spirit; in that instant, her cheeks flushed with shyness, her beautiful eyes evasive, like the clear moon in water—once hanging high in the sky, now rippling with soft light.

Zhao Changhe didn't know how much of what he had said today was following the script and how much was genuine.

Nor did he know if, at this very moment, pressing forward with a few more words might really give him a chance...

This was Yue Hongling. The person he respected most in this world, the reflection of his dreams.

Even though she was a bit younger than him, he still wanted to call her "sister," and had no desire to show her the slightest disrespect. He could casually banter in front of Tang Wanzhuang, but not with Yue Hongling. Without the instigation and teasing of those troublemakers, those words might never have been spoken.

But in this moment, he really wanted to hold her.

"Aren't you looking for a bow? Why are you staring at me!" Yue Hongling finally couldn't bear his gaze on her profile, turning angrily: "I told you, that was just a stepping stone! We are aboveboard..."

"I know." Zhao Changhe interrupted her outburst, speaking softly: "Let's go. Let's find Wan Dongliu... no, let's find Tang Buqi. We need to borrow a bow and also have him coordinate. Chili is not easy to kill. The Tang family can command the Demon-Suppression Bureau here; that will be a help."

With the serious topic broached, Yue Hongling's mind calmed a bit, but her thoughts were still sluggish: "Why not find Wan Dongliu? He's the real local power. And I saw he really wanted to kill Chili too."

"Wan Dongliu is hard to read... Whether he wants to kill Chili because of the foreign tribe or as revenge for his own turf being disrupted is unclear. With the prefect holding him back, he might not actually do anything... In matters concerning the foreign tribes and the Maitreya Sect, I trust the Demon-Suppression Bureau."

Yue Hongling's beautiful eyes flickered over his face, and she chuckled softly, "Mm."

Having someone to discuss plans with... felt quite good.

Tang Buqi's lodging was not hard to find; he was staying directly in the garden of the Wu family, a major local clan in Yangzhou, as if on vacation. At that moment, he was lying in the garden, with two young maids feeding him grapes.

When informed that Yue Hongling and Zhao Changhe were visiting, Tang Buqi was in a good mood: "Invite them in."

He had been one of the most active instigators during the meal. If things got tangled with Yue Hongling, at least there would be nothing with his aunt. Aunt, your nephew can only help you this far.

The two were soon led into the garden. Zhao Changhe saw him lying on the recliner, sucking grapes from the maids' hands, and a wave of sourness rose in him. Damn, being born well lets you do whatever you want: "Nephew, is this how you treat guests? Lying there when guests arrive? I want grapes too."

Tang Buqi glanced at Yue Hongling and said leisurely, "Each person has their own grapes. Some grapes I dare not even think about. It depends on whether you have the skill to get the good ones."

Yue Hongling: "?"

Tang Buqi continued, "Miss Yue, I am four years older than this kid. Do you know what he means by always calling me 'nephew'?"

Yue Hongling was taken aback: "No. Just a joke?"

Zhao Changhe glared at Tang Buqi, who ignored him completely and said leisurely, "I have an aunt, a national beauty with unparalleled talent and looks. This fellow calls me 'nephew'—guess what he's up to?"

Zhao Changhe ground his teeth. Damn, I was just shooting my mouth off for a cheap advantage, and you want me dead!

But Yue Hongling was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "That's great! Your aunt is... oh, I see, it must be Chief Tang. Mm... a perfect match indeed, very good!"

Tang Buqi's eyes bulged, a grape stuck in his throat, nearly choking him to death.

Zhao Changhe looked away, unable to bear it.

A woman's heart is as deep as the ocean. You think she's in a love triangle with Cui Yuanyang, but now she might be frantically trying to distance herself from you.

Yet to Tang Buqi's ears, this was an incredibly magnanimous woman—where in the world could you find such a one?

Tang Buqi almost cried. After finally coughing out the grape, he gasped, "What are you two here for? Come to feed me some drama?"

Zhao Changhe said, "Do you have a good bow?"

"Why should I give it to you?"

"To take down Chili. Are you in or not?"

Tang Buqi jumped up and immediately ordered his attendants: "Go, ask Uncle Wu for the best bow!"

He hastily straightened his slightly rumpled clothes: "How are we doing this? Should I call people?"

"Not yet, wait until late night. It's only the end of the Xu hour now; our dinner was a bit early..." Zhao Changhe said, "We suspect they are hiding in the prefect's mansion. This kind of thing isn't suitable for the Tang family or the Demon-Suppression Bureau. You can provide some backup and cover from outside."

Tang Buqi hesitated: "You... can't go kill the prefect."

Zhao Changhe glanced at him sidelong. What can you do like this? But he didn't say anything in the end.

This was where their thinking differed from the Tang family's. Tang Wanzhuang had many things she couldn't do for the same reason; it was normal.

He truly intended to kill that corrupt official if the opportunity arose, especially if Chili wasn't even there. He didn't want to return empty-handed, so killing the prefect would be a satisfying deed.

"Alright, it's still early. First, find us each a quiet room?"

Tang Buqi's gaze darted between the two: "You... what do you need a quiet room for at this hour? That's not appropriate..."

Yue Hongling couldn't take it anymore and snapped, "I need to tend to my injuries again!"

"Cough." Tang Buqi awkwardly turned to Zhao Changhe: "And you?"

Zhao Changhe said expressionlessly, "I need a separate quiet room. Watching you eat grapes got me all stirred up; I might need to take care of something myself. So if the quiet room has any peepholes, our friendship is over."

Yue Hongling turned her head away, and Tang Buqi said helplessly, "Who wants to watch that thing of yours... Fine, follow me."

Zhao Changhe didn't want a quiet room for that purpose. Since he was going to deal with Chili, he wanted to cram some last-minute study.

He trusted that Tang Buqi wouldn't peep; he wasn't that boring.

In the quiet room, Zhao Changhe took out the gold leaf.

On the gold leaf, a large number of images repeatedly appeared.

There was the scene from the previous day where Tang Buqi's sword thrust was deflected by his blade.

There were scenes with Batu, including the moment he saved Tang Buqi from Batu's blade and the subsequent sword fight with Batu.

There was also the duel between Chili and Yue Hongling, and the full process of his throwing his blade to intercept.

As for earlier battles, they had been pushed out.

But something was missing... For example, there was no battle between Batu and Tang Buqi, nor the scene where Xuan Chong saved Tang Buqi and was intercepted by Chili.

Clearly, only battles in which he participated were displayed. The gold leaf was not a recorder; it was his personal battle log.

The battle between Yue Hongling and Chili was recorded because he had intervened and significantly affected the outcome, so the gold leaf considered him a participant—and it even recorded the whole process. The battle between Batu and Tang Buqi was first disrupted by Xuan Chong, and the fight was already broken off. In the end, he saved someone without even drawing his blade, so it was probably not considered his participation in that duel; thus, only the saving moment was shown.

The internal logic was fairly clear.

He hadn't been sure before, but now it seemed that throwing that blade was really worth it.

He couldn't fully understand their fights... but this slow-motion replay allowed him to learn to his heart's content. One day, he would no longer be inferior to them.

Watching Yue Hongling's heroic posture as her sword flashed cold light, Zhao Changhe immersed himself in learning, gradually becoming absorbed.

Chili's curved blade... Was it somewhat spatial in nature, or purely the illusion effect of the treasured blade as he claimed? The way the blade formed a circle and seemed to close directly back to the starting point was eerily fast...

Time gradually approached the Zi hour.

Suddenly, a knock came from outside the quiet room, and Tang Buqi's urgent voice sounded: "How long does it take you to jerk off!"

"..." Zhao Changhe put away the gold leaf: "Almost done. Let's go."

"Go my ass!" Tang Buqi said urgently: "The prefect has been assassinated. Yangzhou has gone mad!"